Untitled (Still Life)
Artist
Robert Kogge
(American)
Date1989
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions18 × 22 in. (45.7 × 55.9 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Object numberUAC2751
DescriptionThis still life, with a very light and limited palette, shows several jars and a teacup on a nondescript white and beige flat surface. The objects alternate in height, giving a gentle variation to the scene. The lighting and shadows are faint and soft, giving the whole piece a gentle and hazy atmosphere. This is helped along by the way that the objects are just painted onto the background without any outlines, which keeps the piece feeling more open and bright even in areas of shadow. The warm tones and lack of strict lines on the objects communicate a sense of nostalgia and serenity that are exemplary in the works of Robert Kogge, like that of a sepia polaroid.Educated at Parsons School of Design in New York City in the mid 1970s, Robert Kogge is a contemporary artist working in the media of pencil and ink wash, teaching at Yard School of Art in New Jersey. His signature style, pencil marks on untreated canvas colored with thinned ink washes, he developed as a means of showing the full evolution of a work of art from sketch to finished product naturally and without unnecessary covering. His work can be found on both the Hoboken Arts Online Gallery, as well as the Artists Network online exhibition of his still lifes. His physical work is represented in the Jersey State Museum, as well as several other collections along the east coast.
Written by Alex Heath
